From a Singapore Angle

Continuing from the earlier post linking the article about overseas voting by Wayne Soon in Today (Jan 10). A reader by the name of JS Tan left some comments in which is also included a forum page letter he wrote last year (published ST Nov 6, 2004). I thought that the original, unedited version is interesting (and not to mention detailedly argued) and reproduce it below with the author's permission:

It is the duty and responsibility of Singaporeans to vote in the coming election. I participated in the last presidential election and the polling center was conveniently located at the void deck, accessible to all qualified voters, regardless of race, language, religion or affiliation. I applaud the efforts of the government to set up overseas voting stations in the coming election to allow the increasing number of Singaporeans based overseas to vote at more convenient places. However, I would like to highlight the problem with regards to the unequal rights to vote for all overseas Singaporeans.

I am a student in the fourth year of a five-year overseas PhD program. As I am here in my own capacity and currently not associated with any government or public agency, I will not be allowed to register for overseas voting. Section 13A of the Parliamentary Elections Act states that:

13A.—(1) Any person who is entitled to have his name entered or retained in any register of electors for an electoral division and who —
(a) is not resident in Singapore but has resided in Singapore for an aggregate of 2 years during the period of 5 years immediately preceding the prescribed date referred to in section 5; or

(b) is —
(i) a member of the Singapore Armed Forces on full-time training or service outside Singapore;
(ii) a public officer or an employee of any public authority employed in full-time service outside Singapore;
(iii) a public officer or an employee of a public authority on full-time training outside Singapore;
(iv) a citizen of Singapore of not less than 21 years of age on full-time training outside Singapore that is sponsored by the Government or any public authority;
(v) employed outside Singapore by an international organisation of which Singapore is a member or by any other body or organisation designated by the President under Article 135 (1) (c) (ii) of the Constitution of the Republic of Singapore; or
(vi) the spouse or a parent, child or dependant of any person referred to in sub-paragraph (i), (ii), (iii), (iv) or (v) and is living with that person,
may, not later than 21 days after the date of publication in the Gazette of the notice under section 10 (3) or 15 (2), as the case may be, of the notice of completion of the register, apply to the Registration Officer to be registered as an overseas elector for an electoral division at —
(A) any place in or near the electoral division specified in that notice; or

(B) any overseas registration centre. [19/2001]
I understand the government’s concern about overseas voting and Section 13A is a relaxation of the absolute no-no to overseas voting. I can see why the government is concerned with potential irresponsible voting by some overseas Singaporeans who have lived outside Singapore for years since these Singaporeans would not have to live with the consequences of their vote. However, by cutting the pie so narrowly such that only those who have lived 2 out of 5 years in Singapore or those employed by government or public agencies would end up alienating a sector of overseas Singaporeans like myself who feel they are being ostracized.

It is in my opinion that all qualified voters should be given the same convenience to vote. By allowing only selected voters to vote at overseas stations would skew the outcome of the election. Section 13A clearly favors government employees. It allows overseas employees of government agencies to vote with more convenience. As an analogy, it will be the same as allowing only government agency employees in Singapore to vote at the polling stations at their void decks while all others have to travel to city hall. Just as it would be inconceivable to favor or discriminate against a sector of the population by virtue of their race, language or religion with regards to voting, it would be wrong to discriminate against those who do not have certain affiliations (in this case with government or public agencies).

As a student, I would like to highlight how the rule affects voters who are also overseas students and how unfair the rule is.

1. Students on government scholarships have the convenience to vote overseas. Their counterparts with no scholarship or with private sector scholarships are not given that convenience.

2. Students in their first to third year of study qualify for the minimum 2 in 5 years residency and are allowed to vote overseas. Their seniors in their fourth and fifth year of study, senior students pursuing professional degrees such as medicine, architecture or law and senior students pursuing graduate studies after their first overseas degree are not allowed.

Section 13A not only affects students but also the working class. Singaporeans working overseas for more than 3 years will not be allowed to vote at overseas voting stations unless they work for a government agency. It appears that a Singaporean working or studying overseas for more that 3 years has less right to vote than one who has been away for 2 years. Similarly, a Singaporean working overseas in a government agency has more rights than an entrepreneur or one working with a private company.

Agencies like A*STAR are trying to attract unaffiliated overseas students back to work in Singapore and NUS alumni is trying to get overseas alumni to remain connected with the university and Singapore. But Section 13A totally alienates and discriminates against these groups of students mentioned above. They do not have the same rights as overseas Singaporean students sponsored by the government to vote at overseas polling centers.

As a male Singaporean who has completed national service, I would be expected to return to my homeland to carry arms and defend my nation, just like many others in my generation. However, in the coming election, I am alienated and discriminated against. The implication of this is enormous.

I would like to propose that Section 13A be abolished for the coming election or amended such that all qualified voters have equal rights, regardless of race, language, religion or affiliation, to vote at overseas polling centers.

Tan Juay Seng
Student in Vancouver, Canada

Also of interest are these two letters: here and here; and another two here (the second letter), and here (scroll down) with extended remarks by the Kway Teow Man. All very interesting, so knock yourselves out.

update: I've also asked a friend with access to ST archives to help check if there were any responses to JS Tan's letter around the time it was published by ST, and the reply was a "there appears no response to it, not even from the govt. hmmmm". That's a little surprising.